Bill C-16, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, was recently passed by the Parliament of Canada and received royal assent on 19 June 2017. This Act adds gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act, and also modifies the Criminal Code to extend the protection against hate crimes to members of groups distinguished by gender identity or expression.

While the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops supports Bill C-16's intention to protect Canadians from harm, some of the principles behind the legislation – even if widely accepted in our society – cannot be endorsed by Catholics.

The read CCCB President, Bishop Douglas Crosby’s letter in its entirety and to find further sources of information please visit cccb.ca